The sign to the Youth Culture Center called FORUM in Mannheim, just across the Rhein from LU
A young German, who has been volunteering to help with classes before we arrived, organized the outing last night. He is part of a theater / improv group that meets at the Forum and he found out that the Forum also invites persons from other countries every two weeks to an evening to meet and talk with Germans. He has a regular job now and no longer helps at Friedenshaus, but about 18 of us met him last night to travel together by streetcar to Forum.
The first question when we walked in was, "Who would like to work in the kitchen?" I volunteered, as did three others and we worked with the two Forum regulars (from Syria) on the right. They made the main dish of rice and chicken, while the wife of my student and I followed the recipe for a cake, and two of our guys made the salad. We were told there were 30 eating.
In the meantime the rest of the group met with the German guests and some worked on translating Arabic poems into German, others had discussions. Jack said there was lots of talking everywhere. This really answers a request from our students, to be able to interact with Germans. Man on right organized the outing.
The ingredients had been bought by Forum, the recipe for the Arab Honey Almond Cake was chosen by a male student. The two of us couldn't find a spatula or a baking pan, but with spoon and fingers plus baking dish lid, it worked out. Everything had to be weighed!!! The flour, the butter, the sugar - all went on an electronic scale. Thank goodness she knew how to do that! I tried to explain how we measure in cups. Her German is scant. For measuring spoons we just used spoons out of the cupboard. We laughed a lot! The we discovered that the oven door couldn't close and the Forum folk had never used it. I felt sorry for them as they had to work on the rice dish on all four burners as heat from the oven wafted over them. What an experience. We left at 6:20p.m. from LU and at 8:30 the Forum cook said she thinks it's a success if groups eat by 9 p.m. Oh my. My co-baker's children (6th and 4th graders) have an 8 p.m. bedtime. Around 10 p.m. we started saying our goodbyes because I'd decided we'd accompany her and the kids, plus 6 month baby back to LU. Her husband had not been able to come. (We never did get a straight story on the reason) After we left the poems were presented and much talking took place till 11 p.m.
Every time we have the chance to talk in depth with our new friends we learn of their many difficulties. My smiling baker is losing her hair because of anxiety. Her baby is not thriving and her husband's German still isn't good enough to land a job. We were very happy to get the chance to visit with her children, who are doing well in school and have learned a huge amount of German in the last 1.5 yrs.
There are so many stories, so many families apart, so much worry for those left behind. All conflict hurts people. Today we heard via our home church about Kouhaila in Damascus with long days without electricity and strikes around, and that is also the news we hear from our Syrian students
Today in class I heard positive comments about last night's outing, no complaints, just gratitude.
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